Trance Breakdown: Daniel Garrick – Upgrade (Original Mix) [Enhanced]

As a recently unearthed gem of Enhanced Recordings‘ all star roster, German native Daniel Garrick is now poised to set his mark on the Progressive Trance scene with his gorgeously euphoric productions. While his name is more uncommon within the diverse spectrum of Uplifting music, his first offering of 2014 has blown the doors of expectations off its hinges, and has set the bar of excellence at an all time high. Garrick is mostly recognized as one half of Sequentia, but has frequently released tracks of his own during 2013, with singles such as Never Maybe and Five Years receiving support from heavy hitting leaders such as Paul van Dyk, Kyau & Albert and Above & Beyond. But now, his brand new single of Upgrade features his signature, floor filling sound with fresh, well developed phrasing that focuses on intricate, detailed storytelling. With hints of Electro and fast paced chordal conversations, Upgrade ultimately delivers the essential Trance experience with a zesty new mindset.

Upgrade‘s greatest strength lies in Garrick‘s ability to astutely balance major and minor musical variables within a microscopic and macroscopic point of view. To help decipher the meaning behind this often overlooked aesthetic, let’s take a detailed look at the track’s beginning. The basslines offer incredibly tough, raw-hide textures to electrify the entire phrase into full gear, with additional help from slamming snare hits, playful lasers and booming basskicks. However, the track’s focal point naturally draws our ears towards the repeating Big Room synths, which instinctively adds body and weight throughout the fiery beginning. However, those particular synths contain smooth, rounded edges that maintains a certain degree of careful elegance, especially within the melodic breaks every eight measures. These mixtures of colors offer a perfect balance between the two and emits a certain rosy brilliance that gleams throughout Upgrade.

While Garrick has every single detail on lock down, he also manages to create hills and valleys in style and energy throughout the track; an issue that has always plagued EDM. The beginning is filled with heated Electro lines and massive blocks of sound, but the breakdown brings the energy to a bubbling low without sacrificing power, (with the piano and vocals changing style towards grace and beauty). While drastic, the seamless change in styles both play off each other in order to intensify their own respective sections. After the breakdown, he combines those diverse energies together into a fiercely emotional drop that contains massive power with plenty of heartfelt emotions. Dictating the behaviors of these styles and genres can often be tricky, but Garrick’s masterful sound design provides an equilibrium between the yin and yang of Progressive Trance and Progressive House. With such a multifaceted, complex single coming out of the woodworks, Daniel Garrick is definitely going to be one of our artists to watch out for in 2014. Go pick up his single of Upgrade on Beatport via Enhanced Recordings and enjoy the perfect blend of musical brilliance.